Mojave Desert wildflowers could bloom along storm’s path

LAS VEGAS

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Outdoor enthusiasts looking for wildflowers in the Mojave Desert this year are likely to only encounter the blossoms along the path of a storm that moved through Las Vegas last month.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that should wildflowers bloom at all in the coming months following the dry fall and winter, experts believe it will occur in a roughly 50-mile-wide (80-kilometer-wide) area.

Granite Mountains Desert Research Center Director Jim Andre says the blooms are not guaranteed, but there are early signs of germination showing in this strip of land, which stretches from Yucca Valley, California, to southern Nevada.

Andre says an inch (2.5 centimeters) or more of rain fell on parts of the desert where no rain has been recorded for 300 days or more.